Read the latest on training and apprenticeships

Do you use occupational maps? If so, the NFU would like to hear from you so we can help improve them

The Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education (IFATE) is running a consultation to gather feedback on its occupational maps. Please get in touch with your views on the survey questions below to help shape the NFU response to the survey.

The IFATE occupational maps reveal where technical education can lead, and how different courses relate to one another. There are 15 different maps relating to different routes across a range of sectors. The NFU will be responding to the consultation in relation to the Agriculture, Land Management and Production Pathway.

The consultation aims to gather views on how the occupational maps are used, how they are valued and how they could be improved. The consultation is asking for feedback on the following questions:

• In what areas could a product like the occupational maps support you in your role?
• What additional content would be useful from the occupational maps to support you?
• How easy do you find the occupational maps to use? (Very easy, quite easy, neither easy nor difficult, quite difficult, very difficult.)
• How could the occupational maps be made easier to use?
• How easy is it to find the information you are looking for? (Very easy, quite easy, neither easy nor difficult, quite difficult, very difficult.)
• How could it be made easier to find the information you are looking for?
• Do you have any further feedback about the occupational maps?

Please send any feedback to Alison Taylor to help shape the NFU response.

Alternatively, you can respond to the consultation directly.

If you would like further information about the occupational maps or this consultation, email b2NjdXBhdGlvbmFsbWFwcy5pbnN0aXR1dGVAZWR1Y2F0aW9uLmdvdi51aw==

Two new agricultural apprenticeships are now live

After two years of hard work by the industry Trailblazer group, two new agricultural apprenticeships are now live and ready to be delivered. The standards are for a Level 2 general farm worker and a Level 3 livestock unit technician.

The current Level 2 stockperson standard is still available for starts for a limited time. The Trailblazer group has asked IFATE (the Institute For Apprenticeships and Technical Education) for this standard to remain available beyond the original deadline of 10 September 2021 due to feedback from training providers, but is still waiting on confirmation.

The NFU continues to be a member of this important Trailblazer group, which has now begun work on developing a new Level 4 standard.

• Read more on the Level 2 general farm worker standard
• Read more on the Level 3 livestock unit technician standard

Employers, get £1,000 for providing a work experience placement

Employers can receive an incentive of £1,000 for providing 70 hours of quality work experience to a young person.
 
A traineeship is a skills development programme for young people aged from 16 to 24, which includes a work experience placement, to help prepare for employment or an apprenticeship.
 
An employer will work alongside a training provider to agree a flexible work experience programme that usually lasts less than six months and includes 70 hours of work experience.
 
At the end of the traineeship, an employer should interview the trainee if a suitable job or apprenticeship is available within the business, or alternatively provide an exit interview to help the trainee prepare for future employment or an apprenticeship elsewhere.
 

DfE announces cash boost for apprenticeships

The Department for Education (DfE) has announced that businesses in England can claim £3,000 for each new apprentice they take on from 1 April 2021 until 30 September 2021. According to DfE, this cash incentive aims to help more employers invest in the skilled workforce, as part of the government’s Plan for Jobs.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, said: ‘By boosting the cash incentives for our apprenticeship scheme we’re improving opportunities for young people to stay in and find work - this could not be more important in our economy’s recovery.’

ESFA issues guidance for training providers

The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) has taken steps to improve the quality of apprenticeships by issuing guidance for training providers offering apprenticeship training.

The guidance is aimed at new and established providers of all types and focuses on the steps required to maximise the quality of apprenticeships, ensuring they meet the skills needs of both apprentices and employers, of all sizes.

The ESFA has said it will keep the guidance up to date and will follow this with additional guidance for employers, end-point assessment organisations and apprentices, reflecting that apprenticeships should be a three-way partnership between the provider, the employer and the apprentice.